


Shopping Trip

by atlas_of_galaxies



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal
Genre: First Dates, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-27
Updated: 2017-01-27
Packaged: 2018-09-20 00:34:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 16,817
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9467525
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/atlas_of_galaxies/pseuds/atlas_of_galaxies
Summary: IV Arclight has a crush on Ryoga Kamishiro, and their siblings know it. So what are they going to do about it?Set the two up on a date, of course.





	

**Author's Note:**

> this was supposed to be a short oneshot  
> I don't know what happened but now it's almost 17k so I'm just gonna accept it

"Hey, Ryoga, are you even paying attention?"

Ryoga snaps back to his senses from the realm of daydreaming to find IV all up in his face, watching him with inquisitive magenta eyes. The Kamishiro immediately startles and steps away from the Arclight.

IV scoffs, offended, and crosses his arms, closing himself off to the spiky-haired duelist. "Typical," IV drawls. "I invite you out as an apology for the WDC and you repay me with completely ignoring me."

Ryoga blinks. Right. He'd completely spaced out. He was supposed to be hanging out with IV at the local shopping center in the ... well, heart of Heartland City. But, uh, why was he here hanging out with _IV_ of all people?

Even thinking back on it, Ryoga's not entirely sure. He just remembers lounging on his bed one evening, absentmindedly scrolling through his Twitter feed when the caller ID "Shitface" materialized onto his screen.

Ryoga didn't recognize it. But of course, mere minutes later, he would remember why such a vulgar name takes up space on his phone - not that it's the only one.

He still hadn't changed IV's contact since he, y'know, set Ryoga's sister on fire and sent her to the hospital in a coma that lasted months. Plus IV had _kinda_ sabotaged his final duel in the National Duel Circuit.

...Why was he hanging out with IV again?

Oh, right, Rio. Ryoga had stared at the eight-letter word for several seconds, struggling to match a face to the unappealing name as his disgustingly edgy and unironic Fallout Boy ringtone filled his bedroom.

Er, _their_ bedroom. Rio was there too.

Rio had groaned with exasperation from her spot on her own bed, messing with her own phone. "God, would you just answer your phone? I'm afraid I'm gonna need a Band-Aid if you don't tone down the edge a little."

Ryoga threw a pillow at her - bad move, now he only had one pillow and Rio _knows_ he needs two for his neck, but she doesn't care - and answered the phone cautiously. He put it on speaker before warily saying "hello".

"Ryoga!" was all the garish voice on the other end had to say before said teen immediately recognized the voice and poised his finger over the End Call button.

"Why the hell are you calling me, IV?" Ryoga asked through gritted teeth, his pointer finger inching ever closer to the call's demise. Not that IV could see his threat, but it made Ryoga feel better, anyway.

"Don't hang up on me yet, okay?" ...Damn. Maybe IV _could_ see his threat. Or maybe he just knew Ryoga too well. That pissed him off.

"What do you want?" the purple-haired duelist growled through the speaker, removing his pointer finger and shooting a glance at Rio as he did so. To his annoyance, her eyes glimmered as she listened to their conversation with total glee.

"I called to see if - ah - you wanted to hang out sometime?" came IV's voice, only slightly less confident than usual.

"...What."

"Uh, you know, _'hang out'_? It's what friends do when they want to ch--"

"Shut up, I know what 'hanging out' is -- wait did you just call us _friends_ \--"

"Yeah, yeah, I know it's sudden," IV interrupted him, his voice more ... dignified than usual. "But it's been a few months since the WDC. My family has finally settled into what we can call a normal lifestyle - er, as normal as we can manage. I figured that it's time I should start reaching out a bit. And, I thought, why not start with my old friend Ryoga Kamishiro?"

Ryoga's unamused purple eyes glared so strongly at the word "Shitface" that he hoped the flesh and blood Shitface himself could feel the burn. "We were never friends," he managed, not even bothering to keep the contempt out of his voice.

IV didn't miss a beat. "Then why don't we start now? Consider this my apology for ... uh, everything. My treat."

"Never in a million years do I want to be treated by the likes of _you_ \--"

"Oh, come on, Ryoga." Ryoga's eyes narrowed as he returned his gaze to his sister. "It's in the past," she pointed out. "Besides, you _could_ get out more. You can't count on Yuma and Kaito to be the ones who always drag you out of the house."

The purple-haired teen scowled bitterly and gripped his remaining pillow in his hand, ready to fire at his grinning twin, before he thought better of it. He didn't have a chance to respond before IV's annoying-ass voice came on again.

"Oh, is that Rio?" IV asked, his tone very slightly softer than before. "Hey, Rio!"

Ryoga decided to mess with him. "You're not on speaker, dumbass."

"O-oh. Uh--"

"Yes you are, IV," Rio assured the Arclight, smirking at her brother. That same smirk was wiped off her face .2 seconds later when a pillow smacked it. Well, there goes Ryoga's neck support for the night.

Ryoga took his burning purple eyes off his traitorous sister and returned to his phone as Shitface spoke again, this time to the traitor's brother. "You don't have to come, Ryoga. But consider it, yeah?"

Ryoga didn't respond. He glanced again at Rio, who nodded at him in encouragement, now clutching the second pillow he had so foolishly allowed to fall into her grasp.

Finally, the spiky-haired teen sighed into the speaker. "Fine. I'll come. Where are we going?" A horrid thought suddenly crossed his mind. "I swear, if we're going to play with your freaky-ass dolls--"

"We're not doing that," IV cut him off curtly, but Ryoga could hear the smile in his voice. "Although I _am_ honored you remember that about me," he added; completely unnecessary, just like IV's existence.

"Don't flatter yourself," Ryoga snorted. He quickly tired of messing with IV and repeated his original question, now just looking forward to ending the call so he wouldn't have to deal with Shitface anymore. At least, not until their "hang out" session, as IV had put it.

"I was thinking Heartland Central," IV proposed. "It's nice and open, and the forecast said non-stop sun on Saturday. What do you think?"

For IV's standards, it didn't sound so bad. Ryoga was just grateful he didn't suggest a duel; he had had enough of IV's puppets to last a lifetime or two.

"Sounds fine," he grumbled. It's not like he had any better plans.

"Great! See you at 11:00 on Saturday." IV hung up before Ryoga could protest.

"11:00?" he groaned, dropping his phone onto his bed as he mourned the lack of sleep he knew he would have come Saturday morning. "What's wrong with him? He definitely doesn't seem like an early bird to me," Ryoga griped.

"11:00 is something that we normal people like to call 'We've Already Been Awake For 4 Hours And A Particular Moody Teen Needs To Wake The Hell Up'," Rio teased.

Ryoga opened his mouth to argue with his sister's outrageous claim, but two pillows flew at his face, briefly suffocating him. He pulled them down and propped himself up on them, glaring at his twin over the tops of his reclaimed pillows.

"Get some rest, Big Bro," Rio smiled genuinely, seemingly for the first time all evening. "You'll need it if you're going to spend Saturday with IV."

Ryoga begrudgingly agreed and went to bed soon afterwards - and by 'went to bed' he meant 'stay up on his phone half the night and then wake up the next morning for school wondering why he felt so tired'.

But that was Wednesday night. Thursday and Friday flew by in a blur, as school days usually do, which means that it's currently...

Saturday morning.

And here Ryoga is, at 11:17 AM, at Heartland Central, surrounded by various shops and stands that interest the teen about as much as the pile of bricks in the alleyway over there.

"You done daydreaming yet?" comes a snarky tone.

Wait, scratch the whole 'shops not being interesting' thing. _IV_ is definitely the thing Ryoga is _least_ interested in.

Unfortunately, he forces himself to look at the teen who is, Ryoga bedgrudgingly notes, two whole inches taller than him. Has IV always been this tall??

...Wait, no, he _hasn't_ always been this tall. IV is currently wearing dumb black platform boots. They're not those dumb heeled super mega tall boots that make it look like you're constantly standing on two giant cinder blocks; no, in fact, they're not even that different from his regular boots. But they're just different enough to realize that IV is wearing an entirely different outfit from his usual bizarre 16th century European aesthetic.

Must be a white thing.

No, he's currently wearing actual normal _clothes_. Clothes that don't hang off your form and look like a baggy mess and don't show off any parts of your body because nothing is tight enough -- wait what.

Except now that ... IV _is_ showing off tight clothes? Why is Ryoga noticing something like this??

Ryoga slowly raises his gaze, taking in every inch of the teenager before him, from his dumb platform boots to his tight black skinny jeans to the unnecessary belt looping around his waist to his long-sleeve button-down gray shirt to the black vest that covers it - which, Ryoga notes, is incredibly stupid because it's _90 fucking degrees out and IV should be dying if he has any more than two layers on at a time_. But that isn't the worst of it. No, the worst part is the sunglasses perched on top of his hair, where his bangs are pulled back on his left side, exposing an ear. Shouldn't he be, you know, actually wearing the sunglasses when it's so stupidly bright out?

"You look hot," Ryoga snaps without thinking now that he's fully absorbed how ridiculous this boy looks.

Wait. What the hell did he just say?

He doesn't really realize that what he just said could be taken two _very_ different ways until he notices IV's face flush red.

"I-I meant temperature-wise, you dumbass!" Ryoga backpedals to save himself the embarrassment, but it's too late. Ryoga had just accidentally complimented this idiot because of his stupid fashion sense. He almost finds himself wishing that IV had just worn his regular dumb Victorian England outfit from 500 years ago or whatever. At least with that, he might have died of heatstroke before Ryoga said anything stupid.

"Seriously, what's wrong with you? You wanna burn to death with all those black clothes or what?" Ryoga mutters, trying to change the subject and desperately trying to ignore IV's oddly pink cheeks, which make his scar stand out even more.

...The scar that he got in the same fire that nearly killed Ryoga's sister.

...Yeah, he can't do this anymore. He was an idiot for letting Rio talk him into this.

IV still hasn't really said a word this whole time - impressive for him, honestly - but he stiffens and takes his hands out of his pockets when Ryoga starts to turn away.

"Where are you going?" IV demands, perhaps a little more harshly than he intended.

"Away from here," Ryoga answers curtly, shoving his own hands into his pockets. "Sorry to disappoint, IV. I just can't do this."

"Ryoga," comes IV's voice, and then his hand is gripping Ryoga's elbow and turning him around. His magenta eyes actually look concerned. The skin around his scar tightens as he furrows his brow and examines the shorter teen closely. "Are you okay? You're acting even more stand-offish than usual."

"I don't know, maybe it's the fact that you've done nothing but hurt me and Rio, and all of a sudden you're acting all buddy-buddy with us? Why are you even bothering to do this?" Ryoga's eyes narrow, and he rips his elbow out of the taller's grasp.

IV gets a weird expression on his face, something that's a cross between confusion and irritation. He clearly didn't expect to get called out this early. Later on in the day, sure, but right out of the gates like that, Ryoga? Come on.

"That's the whole point I invited you," IV points out, his right eyebrow quirking upwards. "To, uh, apologize? Make it up to you guys, even just a little bit?" He speaks as if it's the most obvious thing in the world, pissing off Ryoga even further.

"Then why didn't you invite Rio, too?"

IV is taken aback. Another thing to add to the list of Things That IV Arclight Did Not Expect To Be Called Out On Today, Or At Least Not Yet.

"I ..." IV's eyes drift downward. "I'm not ready to see her yet." He grows quiet.

Ryoga stares at him with scrutinizing eyes. "So you're okay with seeing the guy you purposefully got disqualified, but you're not okay with seeing the girl you nearly burned to death with because of your own dumb card." Ryoga ponders this for a moment. "...Yeah, I guess that makes sense."

"Small steps," IV offers. "I know my family did a lot of fucked-up shit during the WDC. We'll never be able to competely make up for what we did. But I just want to do what I can, y'know? It makes me feel a little better, if nothing else."

Now it's Ryoga's turn to raise an eyebrow. "So this is more for you than for me?" he inquires lightly, not entirely in an accusatory tone.

IV's eye twitches, but he quickly matches his beat. "What, you're jealous about where my attention is directed? Need some of my _fanservice_?" He knows he's taking a risk, but screw it, Ryoga is already mad at him; can't make him any madder, right?

Ryoga pauses for a moment before smirking and removing a hand from his pocket to playfully punch him the face. "Now there's the old IV I know," he smiles, a bit nostalgic.

Memories flash back to about three years ago, before the WDC and before Rio and her accident and before IV sabotaged Ryoga's chance of winning at the NDC, back to when Ryoga and IV were actual friends, mostly through dueling, but friends nonetheless. It hadn't been for long - IV was really only going to the local public school until his eldest brother came of age and he could properly adopt his younger brothers and live on their own - but Ryoga had a real companion for once. Their younger siblings had gotten along well, too.

But IV and III suddenly vanished one day. Pulled out of school, just like that. The next time Ryoga would see IV was two years later, in a hospital bed, lying motionless much like Ryoga's comatose sister resting a few feet away.

IV had healed rapidly, his injuries being less severe than Rio's full-body burns. He was pulled out of the hospital quickly, supposedly by Tron.

The next time Ryoga actually saw IV conscious was, of course, at the NDC. He was completely changed. He still had that signature vain IV personality, and that signature horrifying IV doll deck, but he was without mercy. He didn't care about anyone except himself, and he performed the tasks Tron ordered him to do more out of duty than family loyalty.

Luckily, it seems that going through the WDC has woken him up and made him aware of all the terrible things the Arclights did, either willingly or not.

IV isn't completely back to his old self, Ryoga is aware of that. But he's trying. And Ryoga supposes that's enough for now.

"Come on," the spiky-haired teen says, bringing himself back to the present with his own words. "Shouldn't we enjoy the shops?" He begins to walk past the taller teen, deeper into the heart of the shopping center.

IV smiles after him, and he quickly catches up with him with his slightly longer stride. At this, Ryoga frowns. "When'd you grow so goddamn tall?"

IV shrugs. "I dunno, I guess I grew? Sorry I didn't wait for you to reach my height, pipsqueak."

Ryoga rewards him with an elbow in the ribs for that.

"Anyway," IV continues a few minutes later, after agonizing over the pain in his side - _"You just killed me, Ryoga" "Shut the hell up, IV" "No I'm dying I need mouth-to-mouth" "What" "What"_ \- and proceeds to reveal the "real" reason IV had invited him to go shopping -- er, to hang out.

"You need better clothes," IV tells him bluntly. "You're always wearing either your school uniform or that sad excuse for a jacket you're wearing right now." He ignores Ryoga's deeply offended look on his face. "You need a better fashion sense, and I'm here to help you with that."

"Says the guy whose everyday outfit is from five hundred years ago on another continent," Ryoga snaps back. "Seriously, I get that you're white, but I'm _pretty_ sure that most Europeans don't wear robes that look like they were sewn during the Victorian Age."

Now it's IV's turn to be offended. "Th-they're not--" he splutters. "They're not robes," he whispers angrily to himself with a confused scowl upon his face, as if he's not entirely sure he believes it himself.

He quickly composes himself and continues on his original mission. "So, look around at the surrounding shops, okay? Tell me what looks good."

Ryoga, although suspicious, does as he says. He quickly scans the surrounding area, ignoring the bustling crowds and simply looking for logos that look familiar.

"Hm, Hot Topic looks good," Ryoga finally remarks, completely unironically.

When IV doesn't respond, the purple-haired teen glances back in bewilderment. IV has such a look of pure ... what even is that emotion? Shock? Amusement? Horror? Whatever, his face just looks like an amalgamation of those three.

"Oh my god, you're even worse than I remember," IV whispers, probably not intending Ryoga to hear, but he hears his words anyway. Louder now, clearly for Ryoga, he says with thinly-veiled bluntness, "Ryoga," he begins gently, as if he were explaining to a child that stealing is wrong or some tough life lesson like that, "Hot Topic is for edgy teenagers with lonely single-candle shrines to their favorite equally edgy and cringeworthy bands, like-" Don't say it. "-Fallout Boy." _Fuck._

Ryoga takes the insult easily, as he knows it's all true. "Yeah, I'm aware of that, seeing as how I shop there regularly." IV looks a little pained at the use of 'regularly', and Ryoga relishes in his suffering, even if it is at the expense of himself. "Where do you recommend I shop instead, oh mighty Fashion King?"

"Anywhere but there," IV's hushed, horrified voice returns. "Come on, I'm taking you to a _real_ classy store," he says, taking Ryoga by the arm and leading him away from the horrid crime against humanity. IV feels an odd thrill when he realizes that Ryoga doesn't pull his arm from his grasp.

However, 'classy' is definitely not the word Ryoga would use to describe the store IV stops in front of.

"Forever 21?" Ryoga demands incredulously, turning to stare at the taller teen with a look that can only be described as, _are you kidding me right now_. "What are you, a teenage girl?"

IV merely shrugs in response. "What can I say, they have nice jewelry here. And shoes, too." He pointedly stares at the white loafers that look like they were attacked by a BeDazzler that unfortunately adorn Ryoga's feet.

"I'm not wearing stupidly-high platform boots," Ryoga retorts, feeling a small burn on his cheeks at the implied insult. At least his shoes are _unique._

"Really?" IV grins, the skin stretching around his scar. "You don't want to catch up to me in height?"

"No. I don't." At IV's skeptical look: "Shut up."

"Fine, we don't have to get you shoes. But we can at least look at the jewelry section."

Suddenly, IV reaches out a hand and brushes away Ryoga's hair from the side of his face, looking for something. His hand grazes his face, leaving a flush on Ryoga's cheeks. The shorter teen is so shocked that he doesn't react before IV inquires, "Do you still have your ears pierced?"

Ryoga gets a hold of himself and swats away his hand a bit clumsily. He knows there wasn't anything behind that touch, but hell. Personal space exists, thank you very much.

"Yeah," he finally mumbles. "It's been a while but I don't think the holes have closed up yet." The fact that IV remembers his pierced ears is a bit of a shock. IV, actually remembering a detail about something that isn't his own face? Unheard of.

"Perfect," IV claps his hands together, the hand that brushed Ryoga's face and the hand that grabbed his arm. "We'll get you some new earrings, then," speaking authoratively as if he was the only one who had any say on this shopping trip.

Ryoga begrudgingly glares at his stupid face, and then his stupid back as IV passes him to walk into the store. Stupid IV. Yeah, that's a good word to describe him. Stupid.

...But he follows the stupid boy into the store meant for teenage girls anyway.

As IV promised, their first and only stop is the jewelry section. Most of what they have consists of chokers and necklaces, which Ryoga isn't really interested in, since they would cover up his own necklace. Instead, they focus on the earrings, and, in contrast to Ryoga's expectations, he actually enjoys the styles.

He becomes especially attached to a set of dolphin-themed earrings - to which IV scoffed at, _"typical, dolphins for a Shark"_ \- but continues looking. He even finds a nice set of V-shaped earrings - _"hey IV you should get these for your older brother" "haha very funny, but no I don't want him thinking that I appreciate him in any way"_ \- but his heart is set on the dolphins, so he quickly comes back to them and picks them up for purchase.

"That all?" IV asks when Ryoga approaches him with the earrings of his choosing. IV is currently examining a set of gold cuff links that line the ear. Ryoga has to admit - silently, of course - that they would be a good look for the flamboyant teen.

"Yeah," Ryoga nods. "Are you getting those?" he asks, motioning to the cuff links in IV's hands.

"Not sure," he sighs dubiously, then holds them up to his ear, which doesn't work very well, since they're currently attached to the cardboard behind them. "What do you think?" he turns to Ryoga.

Surprised that this expert on fashion is asking _him_ for his input, Ryoga doesn't respond immediately, just gapes a little.

"Uh -- they look good," Ryoga nods in affirmation. And he's not saying that to make the taller teen feel any better - since when does Ryoga care about IV's _feelings_ \- but he honestly believes it.

IV smirks at his approval. "Thanks for your input. I'm happy to know you think I look good." His voice has a mischievous edge to it, his magenta eyes sparkling with playfulness.

Before Ryoga can argue that _no_ , he did not think that IV looked good, only that his _earrings_ looked good, and that was _different_ , IV holds out his palm. Ryoga stares at it, then up at IV, like, _what the hell do you want me to do with this_.

The taller teen raises an eyebrow in that signature IV way. "Uh, give me your earrings, maybe? So I can buy them for you? Were you planning on walking out of here without paying or what?"

Ryoga gapes again. "Wait, _you're_ buying them? For me?"

"No," IV deadpans, his eyebrows furrowing as a frown develops. "I'm buying them for that guy over there." He gestures wildly someplace to the left of him. Ryoga matches his frown and looks for said guy.

"Oh my god!" the Arclight loudly gasps, causing Ryoga's head to snap back into place. "I was joking! Of course I'm buying them for you, dumbass. I said I would treat you, didn't I?"

Ryoga's brow wrinkles in deep suspicion as he looks into IV's eyes for any sign of deception.

The taller teen suddenly groans. "Seriously? You're giving me that look again."

Ryoga looks taken aback; he apparently didn't realize that he looked so skeptical. "What look?" he snaps.

"Your look of This Guy Must Be Lying Because I Believe That No One Can Be Nice To Me Unless They Have Some Ulterior Motive Because I've Been Hurt Before, Okay," IV prattles off, with shockingly hurtful accuracy.

Ryoga is struck speechless for a moment, but then scoffs in that Typical Bad Boy _tch_ and hands him the earring set, looking away from his face.

"Thank you," IV smiles, a little more genuinely. He walks to the counter to pay while Ryoga stays behind, absentmindedly tugging at an elastic choker still on the shelf.

Ryoga is at odds with himself. He knows _why_ IV is being so nice to him, so technically, he _does_ have an ulterior motive by hanging out with him.

But ... y'know ... if IV is willing to pay for everything ... Ryoga won't complain.

At that moment, IV returns, a small yellow bag that nearly matches IV's bangs in color vibrancy. He nods at Ryoga in greeting and leads him out of the store.

Once outside, he opens up the bag and hands Ryoga his set of earrings before removing his own from their cardboard. With expert manueverability, IV attaches the cuff links to his exposed ear without even needing a mirror. He pulls out his phone, checks himself in the front-view camera, grins, winks, and snaps a picture.

He brings down his phone to find a deeply disgusted Ryoga who seems to be suffering from extreme embarrassment, both of the first- and secondhand varieties.

Secondhand coming from, of course, IV and his stupid selfie, with firsthand coming from the fact that he can't seem to find where his piercing is supposed to go.

Well, yes, ear piercings go _in one's ear_ , but, uh, what happens if you can't find the hole it's supposed to go into?

...

Ryoga is very greatful in that moment that he didn't voice his concerns aloud.

IV sure as hell notices how panicked he looks, though. "Hey, uh, need some help?" There's that stupid eyebrow quirk again.

Ryoga ignores him, quietly cursing under his breath as he tries to stick a stud with a miniature conch shell on the end into his ear, but with no success.

Blinking, IV wordlessly steps forward and reaches out again. His hand meets Ryoga's and takes the stud from him. "Hey, pull back your hair for me, would you?"

Ryoga feels numb as the same hand that IV touched pushes back the purple locks that cover his ears. IV is close. Like. _Really_ close. One of his hands is cupping Ryoga's ear, the other carefully pushing the earring through the piercing. And since both hands are occupied with something concerning the area right next to Ryoga's face, guess where IV's face is?

Yep, it's right in front of his. IV's breath stirs Ryoga's bangs as he works. And it. Smells nice? His breath is minty, as if he had downed a whole bottle of mouthwash before coming here.

IV gets the stud through - but hell, it hurts - and he puts his hand out for the backing; the backing passes from numb hands to warm ones, the stud is secured in place and one ear is finished.

Then comes to the other one.

IV switches to Ryoga's other side, repeating the process and cupping his ear, breath still stirring Ryoga's bangs and gently tickling his forehead.

And Ryoga. God, where does Ryoga look?

His entire view is just IV. He's pretty sure he's had a nightmare like this once. But this is reality, and in reality you have to use your eyes to look at stuff, but that's pretty hard, considering the fact that the only 'stuff' Ryoga is currently seeing is IV's stupid face.

Ryoga's eyes dart around, which he's completely certain IV can see out of the corner of his eye. Ryoga tries to find the least-awkward place to look at on the teen's face.

His eyes? No, that's like, weirdly intimate; it's like first base right then and there if IV happens to glance a few inches to his right and meet Ryoga's gaze.

Maybe his nose? That'll make Ryoga cross-eyed and look generally dumb, so no thanks.

How about his ... lips ...?

_No no a thousand times no._

Finally, Ryoga settles for his scar. He was thinking about watching his stupid sunglasses, but since they're so close to his eyes - but not actually _on_ them because IV doesn't know how sunglasses work - he's running the risk of entering first base territory if IV looks his way.

Finally, a stud, a backing, and what feels like a million years later, IV is done. He steps back and admires his handiwork, finally freeing up Ryoga's gaze. He glowers at the taller teen, wishing that IV would burst into flames - again - under the intensity of his glare.

Unfortunately, IV remains remarkably non-combusted and takes his phone from his back pocket once again. "We're documenting this," he grins mischievously, turning around and activating the front-view camera.

Ryoga suddenly finds his alarmingly pink face on IV's screen, and he swiftly realizes he's about to fall prey to - god forbid - a selfie. He tries to duck out of the camera's view, but IV swings his arm around his shoulders and forces him upright, causing Ryoga to face directly at the camera, which forces him to look directly at his own dumb flushed _face_ \--

Wait. The earrings make him look, uh, actually pretty good. IV's cuff links definitely don't harm his appearance either.

He glowers with a very slightly decreased intensity, but he's still glaring when IV takes the shot. Then, for some bizarre reason, IV shows him the picture, as if he hadn't just seen his face on the same screen like five seconds ago.

IV is grinning almost foolishly big, reminding Ryoga of Yuma. The skin around his scar is all crinkled up from his smile and -- are those _dimples_? Compared to IV's radiant face, Ryoga looks like some demon. Er, make that a demon with conch shell earrings. A _blushing_ demon with conch shell earrings. Ryoga prays to any god there is that IV doesn't notice.

"It's a good look," IV nods in approval at Ryoga's earrings after pocketing his phone again. "But that's not the only makeover you're getting today; far from it, in fact." He speaks as if Ryoga should be happy about this. Which, spoiler alert, he's not.

"Gee, can't wait," Ryoga grumbles in response.

IV is either dumber than he thought and didn't notice the sarcasm or he's just ignoring it, since he declares, "Neither can I! So let's get on our way and start hitting the shops for real this time. We're going all out."

"Wonderful. You still covering me?"

"I'm still covering you. Now come on, Ryoga. We're on a mission."

\---

About a hundred meters back, a pink-haired boy with curls is currently paying a girl with purple hair and long cyan bangs.

"And ... five dollars," the girl smiles, proudly receiving the assortment of ones and coins as the boy finishes filtering them into her hands.

"Wow, color me surprised, Rio," the boy says, a shine in his emerald eyes, apparently indifferent to the fact that he is now five dollars poorer. "I never expected Ryoga would be able to deal with my brother for this long," he adds, the same mischievous glint in his eyes that always seems to inhabit his brother's as well.

"You'd be amazed at how much Yuma has risen Ryoga's tolerance level, III," Rio smirks, looking up and watching their brothers from afar. "I was starting to think that he might even manage to go on a date with IV, and what do you know, he does it."

"Don't you mean 'hang out session'?" III teases, flashing Rio a knowing look.

Rio gently punches him in the shoulder. "If all goes well," she promises, grinning, "I highly doubt this is the last time they'll 'hang out'."

"But ... I'm curious," she suddenly adds. "How did you convince IV to ask him out?"

III shrugs, his curls bouncing as he moves. "It was pretty obvious he was crushing hard on him. He even offered to start going to school to see him more often - not that he would admit it. I think Ryoga has just enamored him, honestly."

"Ryoga, enamoring someone," Rio muses, her smile still spread on her face. "Can't imagine it; I've never seen what it looks like."

III playfully rolls his eyes. "Have you been paying attention to the two of them at all over the last hour? Thomas has been taking every chance he can get to get close to Ryoga. He must have grabbed his hand, like, at least five times by now."

"God, he's desperate," Rio observes, before glancing at III to see if her comment about his brother offended the boy, but he chuckles in accord.

Noting his compliance, Rio presses onward. "Come on, III, you never told me how you got IV to call him."

"Oh, right, right," III nods, his sparkling emerald eyes thoughtful. "It was about a week ago, I believe."

III had just finished saying goodbye to Yuma after the boy had spent an evening at the Arclight flat for dinner. He had kissed Yuma, said goodbye to Astral - it's important to acknowledge even spirits in the room, of course - and bid them both good night before finally closing the door.

He returned to the living room where IV lounged. His mind still vivid with thoughts of Yuma, a wide smile spread itself across III's face, his eyes sparkled, a blush was on his cheeks--

"Yes, I understand how much you love Yuma, but what about IV?" Rio interrupts present time.

III immediately looks taken aback, and a blush swiftly commands his cheeks, much like in his memory. "S-sorry," he mumbles. "Didn't realize I was doing it. Anyway."

The youngest Arclight sat down in a chair adjacent to IV, who lazed and stretched himself out across the entire couch. The middle brother was fiddling around with his phone, doing aimless tasks like opening Twitter for five seconds and then quickly returning to the homescreen, before revisiting Twitter to refresh it, only to find that nothing had changed.

IV quickly grew tired of this and looked up as III sat down. Half-looking for a fight, half-bored, IV offered, "You and Yuma are sickening."

III immediately blanched and looked at him, his embarrassment apparent from the blush on his cheeks. "What do you mean by that?" he responded in a small voice.

"It's just - you two are the most sickening lovey-dovey couple I've ever _seen_. I honestly didn't think those types of couples even _existed_ , that is, until you guys came along," IV complained. III visibly relaxed; it was just IV being IV.

"Like, seriously, I have _no_ idea why Chris and Tron even _allow_ this!" the middle Arclight exclaimed, throwing his arms up in exasperation.

"I know, it's terrible," III decided to entertain him. When IV got like this, it was best to let him blow off some steam.

"Yes, _thank you_ , Michael, at least _someone_ under -- hey, wait, you're doing that thing again!"

Said boy looked up and blinked innocently. "What thing, Brother?"

"That thing where you agree with everything I say to finish the conversation faster."

"Oof, called out," Rio observes. III throws her a look before returning to the story.

In the past, III shrugged. "You got me there, Thomas. What can I do to make you feel better?"

"St -- ju -- just _stop_ making _bedroom_ eyes at each other!"

III looked legitmately offended. " ' _Bedroom eyes'?!_ "

"You heard what I said," IV retorted. "You guys couldn't take your eyes off each other at the dinner table. And that one time when both your hands reached for the salt at the same time and your hands brushed, your face turned the brightest red I have ever _seen_. I swear, you might want to get that checked out, it's probably not healthy."

"Interesting observation, Thomas," III remarked back, removing his phone from his pocket and beginning to scroll through it aimlessly, much like his brother. "But it's a little concerning to me how much you watched us at the dinner table."

IV glared at him. "And what is _that_ supposed to mean?" he asked in an accusatory tone.

"Oh, nothing," his younger brother responded airily. "It's just that, if I didn't know any better, I would think that you're jealous."

IV was struck speechless for a few precious moments of silence before:

**_" 'JEALOUS'?!"_ **

III was a little concerned that his older brother's yell would bring their father and brother into the room, but thankfully, the two must have had the same mindset as the youngest and just left IV to be IV.

Unfortunately, IV would continue being IV for quite a while.

"I can't -- you little -- the _nerve_ \-- how -- how on _earth_ did you come to the conclusion that I'm _jealous_ of you two?!" IV did not give III time to respond. "You think I can't get a boyfriend? Or a girlfriend? I have _hundreds_ of fans, all of whom would _die_ of happiness if I asked _any_ of them out. The only reason I haven't dated anyone yet is because I'm concerned for their safety! I don't want my fans to _die_ because of me!"

III observed him carefully, blinking. When he spoke, it was in a voice that felt like clouds compared to IV's grating, angry yelling.

"That may be true," he spoke softly. "But you wouldn't be happy with any of them, right?"

For the second time in the span of about two minutes, IV was struck speechless. He opened and closed his mouth like a fish; he had nothing to respond to that with.

III thought hard in that short amount of time. He wondered if this was worth saying, if IV would kill him for even suggesting it, if even V would disapprove--

Eh. Screw it.

"What if you asked out your number one fan?" III suggested. "What was his name? Ryoga? I think he may accept."

IV's face was flooded with a crimson so bright that III knew he had hit home. "Wh-what makes you think that," the middle Arclight spluttered, more of a statement than a question.

The youngest Arclight shrugged in response. "Well, you've always said you considered him to be your best friend. And, uh." He gestured to IV's burning face. "Your face isn't really denying the fact that you have a crush on him."

"I do not have a crush on Ryoga!" IV, the teen who most definitely _did_ have a crush on Ryoga Kamishiro, exclaimed.

III gave him a look. Both brothers knew that that was a lie.

"Come on, Thomas," the young Arclight began again, more gently this time. "Just ask him out. What's the worst that could happen?"

"Oh, I could lose my only friend because he'll think it's weird I have a crush on him - _don't give me that look, Michael_ \- and he'll think I'm creepy and he'll leave me forever." IV threw his arms up again for dramatic effect. "But, you know!! That's only the worst case scenario!" He was getting hysterical.

"Fine, then don't specifically ask for a date. Just ask to hang out."

IV suddenly froze. His widened magenta eyes trained themselves onto his brother. "... Do you think that'll work?" a small voice asked.

"It's worth a shot," his brother insisted. "Here, give me your phone, I can text him for you--"

" _Nonono._ " IV quickly scooted away, phone in hand, out of reach of III. "I'll do it. Just give me a minute to prepare."

Apparently, what 'preparing' was for IV was abandoning the sofa, running into his room, diving onto his bed and screaming into his pillow.

III thoughtfully listened to his brother's muffled screams, his own phone still in his hands. Then, an idea sprung into his head.

He quickly unlocked his phone - he keeps it locked because he can't trust that IV won't send Yuma awful things from it - and opened a new message, directed to Rio Kamishiro: _[You won't believe what I just convinced Thomas to do.]_

"Damn," the recepient grins in present time. "You knew it from the start, didn't you?"

III merely giggles in response. "I'm just glad Ryoga is having a good enough time to keep hanging out with my brother. Put those five dollars to good use, Rio."

Rio nods. The money, of course, comes from their bet on whether or not Ryoga would actually stay with IV. Rio bet for, III against. He didn't have much faith in his brother.

"Hey, what if we grab some Starbucks to drink while we watch them?" she suddenly offers. She digs into her pocket and waves around the money that III had just given her. "It'll be my treat."

The Arclight chuckles at the mismatched change and ones in her hand. "That'll buy, like, a single tall frappuccino," he laughs.

Rio shrugs and pockets her prize money once again. "Hey, it's better than nothing." Suddenly, the purple-haired girl glances around, a concerned crease in her brow. "Uh, say, III. Did you see where our brothers went?"

III's face immediately blanches. "Uh," is all he manages, but it's enough for Rio to get the message.

"It's okay, we'll catch up," she promises. "But let's get looking for them in the meantime."

"Maybe we can put out a lost child notice," III suggests. He straightens and gets a serious look on his face, his voice firm in a mock-announcer voice:

"Attention, Heartland Center shoppers. We have two lost boys in the shopping center. The first one is about 5'9", and he is 17 years old and has a weird scar on his face. The second one is about 5'7" and he is 15 years old and has really bad purple hair. The two should be found together, insisting that they don't like each other, when in reality, they actually want to make out with each other. If found, please alert the nearest security guard. Thank you for your cooperation."

Rio snickers at first, but then quickly breaks out into an all-out laugh and shoves III in the shoulder in her laughing fit. The boy silently rubs the spot where she hit him, smiling despite the pain.

After she's caught her breath, Rio finally suggests that they start looking for their brothers, or else they might actually have to file a lost child notice. III nods, and the two set off and are quickly swallowed by the crowd.

\---

Back with Ryoga and IV, they had indeed ventured very far away from where their unknown matchmakers were hiding. They'd also done quite a bit of shopping; Ryoga looks quite different now.

He now wears a blue striped deep v-neck, and his purple jacket is tied around his waist - _"well, it doesn't completely hide that hideous atrocity, but I'll take what I can get for now" "thanks IV"_ \- and he's now wearing dark blue skinny jeans, at IV's request. Ryoga was reluctant to put them on at first, but to his surprise, they're remarkably comfy. Finally, IV fulfilled his wish and got the teen new shoes. The combat boots on Ryoga's feet are black and thankfully un-BeDazzled.

"See? That wasn't so bad," IV smiles at him encouragingly. "It doesn't hurt to treat yourself every once in a while."

Ryoga shrugs, training his eyes at the ground. "I guess," he mumbles. The teen suddenly feels a wave of exhaustion. It must be from spending the day with someone he once hated, but he's now ... friends with? IV certainly thinks so - Ryoga's pretty sure that he actually said "best friend" at one point whilst referring to him - but the purple-haired teen isn't so sure. He'll give it a bit more thought.

The taller teen blinks at him, noticing his low energy. "Ryoga, you okay? You seem a little ... tired."

IV is met with Ryoga's glare. "What tipped you off?" he grumbles.

That quirked eyebrow. "Hey, no need to be short with me, Ryoga. I'm doing you a favor."

The shorter teen frowns in response, but he knows he's right. "I know," he sighs. "I just haven't done this much shopping since Rio recovered and took me with her to the mall the day she got out of the hospital. I didn't even buy anything! I just carried all her shit."

IV smiles again, his magenta eyes crinkling up. "That sure sounds like Rio. But," his voice takes on a more sympathetic tone. "If you're done for the day, we can always pick this trip up another time. I think I've made a good enough start on remaking your wardrobe for now."

"Yeah, I might take you up on that offer--" Ryoga's eyes suddenly focus on something over IV's shoulder. His mouth gapes a little.

Curious, IV turns and is greeted with a sight he knows he should have expected: the name _Card Games_ standing out in bright neon colors above the entrance to a small store.

IV tilts his head back and slyly grins at Ryoga knowingly. "I'm guessing you aren't done for the day yet, huh?"

Ryoga gives him a half-hearted glare. "Shut up, you know you wanna go in there, too."

IV winks at him, sending a not-entirely unpleasant shiver down Ryoga's spine. "I never said I didn't," he teases, sticking his tongue out.

Ryoga scoffs and gently punches him in the shoulder as he walks past him to enter the game store.

IV, rubbing his shoulder, gazes thoughtfully after him. Ryoga isn't the most affectionate person on the planet, that much is obvious. But it's the little things that he does. The faint ghosts of smiles he doesn't seem to realize he gets. The gentle punches. The slightly less intense glares than usual.

The Arclight smiles. Ryoga is definitely warming up to him.

He follows his crush into the store.

\---

It doesn't take long IV to find Ryoga in the game store. The Arclight makes a beeline for the trading card section and immediately finds him inspecting a booster pack.

IV taps him on the shoulder in greeting, and Ryoga barely acknowledges his presence with a nod.

"You thinking about any new strategies?" the taller teen asks curiously.

"Maybe," Ryoga murmurs. "I wanna try something new." He puts the booster pack back and picks up another one, one with No. 17 on it.

"If that's the case, then may I recommend using Gimmick Puppets?" IV's stupid smirk is plastered all over his stupid scarred face.

Ryoga turns and smacks that face with the booster pack in his hand. "Not on your life," he growls. "You'd have to kill me before you catch me using -- _oh shit, get down._ "

Before IV even has time to react, Ryoga plummets to the linoleum floor. He grabs the Arclight's hand and pulls him down with him, their knees dusting the worn tile. The booster pack once in Ryoga's hand goes skittering across the floor.

"The hell--" IV's boisterous protest is quickly met with a finger to his lips that very clearly says two words: _Shut up._ Magenta eyes blink at Ryoga inquisitively, but the Kamishiro has his own eyes trained elsewhere: just around the corner of the aisle they're apparently hiding behind.

" _Why are we hiding?_ " IV mouths as Ryoga turns back to him with fear in his dark blue eyes.

"Come on, Shingetsu, let's go look at the cards!" comes a high-pitched, excited voice, answering IV's question for Ryoga.

"Ahh, coming, Yuma-kun!!" a frantic yelp responds. Two pairs of footsteps begin to patter across the floor, swiftly growing louder.

Ryoga and IV stare at each other. " _Why are you hiding from Yuma?_ " the Arclight whispers, his brow creased.

" _I'm not hiding from Yuma,_ " Ryoga responds quietly, frantically glancing over his shoulder. " _It's Shingetsu that I'm hiding from._ "

IV's eyes stare at him in confusion, which only get more concerned when Ryoga grabs his sleeve and crawls down the aisle, dragging the Arclight behind him in an awkward gait.

The two round the corner and settle against an aisle full of adventure RPGS mere moments before Yuma and Shingetsu enter the trading card aisle.

"Aw yes!!" Yuma exclaims in victory. "They got it all here: _Photon Shockwave, Galactic Overlord, Abyss Rising?!_ We're never gonna leave, Shingetsu!"

The aisle over, IV frowns at Ryoga. "Who's Shingetsu?" he asks quietly, not having to worry about being heard over Yuma's excited ramblings about the super cool cards you can find in the _Order of Chaos_ packs.

"The kid with Yuma."

IV rolls his eyes. "Yeah, well, I assumed that." The Arclight then slowly gets to his feet and peeks over the edge of the aisle, ignoring Ryoga's quiet _"What the hell are you doing"_ in favor of seeing this 'Shingetsu' kid for himself.

He sees Yuma, of course, and a slightly taller kid who looks like his hair is a literal carrot. Both their backs are turned to him, luckily, as they're too invested in the booster packs in front of them. With any luck, those two should be preoccupied for the next ... say, hour.

IV crouches back down, meeting Ryoga's angry gaze. "So Carrot Top over there is Shingetsu?" he slyly drawls. "What's so bad about him?"

Ryoga gives him what can only be described as a grimace. "I don't really know. He's just really annoying and he always seems to be dragging Yuma into trouble." The Kamishiro glares into the shelf, as if he can see through it and scowl at the orange-haired boy. "I can't count how many times he's made Yuma late."

"Yeah, like you're such a studious kid who always gets to class on time," IV scoffs. He's rewarded with a punch in the stomach for that.

As IV silently struggles to regain his breath, Ryoga continues. "Even though I'm mainly hiding from Shingetsu to avoid trouble, I also don't really want Yuma to see me while I'm with..." he trails off when he notices the Arclight staring at him dubiously. "...Uh. While I'm without my regular outfit." _Nice save, Ryoga._

IV frowns for a moment more, before lighting up as he glances at the entrance of the store. "Should we try to sneak out?" he suggests, a smirk playing on his lips.

Ryoga wants to smack that smirk right off his face, but he has to admit, sneaking sounds a little fun. He hasn't really done anything "stealthy" since that duel gang he used to hang out with. The thought of hiding from someone, even in a totally legal way, gives the Kamishiro a small thrill.

He grips the Arclight's sleeve again and slowly peeks around the corner. Yuma and Shingetsu are still deeply involved with investigating the booster packs and shaking them to "see which one has the best cards" - _"um, Yuma-kun, I don't think they sound any different because they all weigh the same"_ \- so Ryoga gives them the clear and begins to sneak across the aisle, temporarily exposing themselves in the bare lane before quickly taking cover behind the opposite aisle.

They slowly creep down it, well aware that Yuma and Shingetsu are a mere glance to their right away from discovering the two teens. They've made it about three-fourths of the way down the aisle when--

"Aww, Shingetsu, look!" Yuma's voice is suddenly aimed in their direction. "Someone left this poor booster pack on the floor!"

_Shit._ Too late, Ryoga realizes that he had abandoned the pack on the tile in their scramble to escape his classmates. And, of course, it had skittered across the floor conveniently in the direction that they were trying to go.

"Shit, IV, _move_ \--" Ryoga practically tosses his friend - ? - into the next aisle over, and Ryoga quickly slides after him, trying not to make too much noise.

But, ah, you see, that would have worked just fine if, ah, Ryoga hadn't overshot his distance and ended up slamming into IV, making the shorter teen fall backwards and hit his head on the--

Uh, wait. He didn't hit his head?

...Oh. That's because IV is currently holding him in some sort of bizarre take on bridal style, except kneeling down.

IV is pitched precariously forward, struggling to keep his balance and keep Ryoga up at the same time. The two freeze as Yuma bends over to pick up the booster pack, waiting with bated breath to see if he'll see them--

"Wow, _Generation Force!_ I didn't know they still had these!" Yuma hoots. IV and Ryoga don't move until Yuma has turned his back to them and returned to his friend.

The teens quietly let out sighs of relief as IV sits back and helps Ryoga to his knees. "I didn't realize this would be so nervewracking," the Arclight chuckles.

The Kamishiro simply smiles. It's surprisingly fun to mess around with IV. And what's even more surprising is that ... they're getting along. And Ryoga's enjoying himself.

As the teens move out and deftly sneak to the front of the store without any more incidents, Ryoga quietly decides that maybe spending a few more hours with his enemy-turned-friend won't be so bad.

Once outside, the two stretch out their full heights once more and grin at each other for a few moments before breaking out into laughter.

"We must've looked so stupid," Ryoga snickers, his shoulders shaking with the force of his laughter.

"J-just imagine being the employee who's in charge of the security cameras ... and seeing these two teenage boys sneaking around the store on all fours for apparently no reason at all," IV barely gets out; his voice is light from lack of air and his face is red with flush and exhilaration.

Ryoga can't stop grinning, and he can't stop staring at IV's face - the way his eyes crinkle up when closed, how his scar nearly blends into his cheeks when his face is all flushed like this, the brightness of his smile--

But suddenly, IV's eyes are open and looking at his and - oh god did he notice him staring? please god no - the Arclight remarks now that he's caught his breath, "So, do you wanna get outta here, Ryoga? I can catch you a cab home." He sounds surprisingly understanding.

"Oh, actually." Ryoga finds himself speaking without really thinking. "I think I can keep going for a while."

IV's smile is blinding. "Then shall we?" he proposes.

The Kamishiro nods. "Yeah. But I get to decide the shops from now on."

Another blinding grin. "That's only fair. Come on, Ryoga."

The two leave the awning over the shop entrance and head off into the crowd, a much higher energy hanging between the two of them than ever before.

\---

The two have barely left the doorway when Yuma and Shingetsu emerge from the store. Surprisingly enough, neither of them have any bags; apparently the latter had pulled the former away from wasting his money on cards they both knew would never make it into Yuma's deck.

This, of course, led the two to being outside approximately an hour before Ryoga and IV had expected them to be.

Consequently, Yuma has barely been outside for 2 seconds before he looks to his right and sees the teens about to blend into the crowd.

His bright pink eyes light up and he excitedly grips Shingetsu's shoulder with one hand as he prepares to wave to the teens with the other, "Shingetsu, look!" He raises his voice to a yell, clearly intending to grab the teens' attention. "Hey, Sh--"

A hand from behind suddenly claps over Yuma's mouth, sealing his words before they can escape.

His pink eyes widen in shock, and he quickly whirls around to face his assailant, the key on his chest bouncing as he does. The hand covering his lips is replaced by a quick kiss from his boyfriend.

"III!" Yuma exclaims in delight after the Arclight pulls away from their brief exchange. A blush invades both of their cheeks, but neither seems to mind. "I didn't know you were gonna be out at Heartland Central today!" He elbows Shingetsu playfully in the ribs. "I was out here looking for new cards with ol' Shingetsu here!"

III smiles cheerfully at the orange-haired boy as Rio catches up to him. Yuma greets her with his signature cheek-splitting grin.

"Seriously, III," the Kamishiro twin sighs. "I get you're excited to see Yuma and all, but we have a mission to perform."

Yuma immediately lights up, and his hair almost seems to perk up. " 'Mission'? What mission?! Can I help?" He looks excitedly from Rio to III as the matchmakers exchange a playfully exasperated glance.

"We noticed you saw Ryoga and Thomas back there," the youngest Arclight grins mischievously. "But we had to stop you before you said anything."

Shingetsu pops into the conversation, curiosity shining in his bright purple eyes. "How come?" he inquires.

"Because we secretly arranged a date for IV and Ryoga and we can't have them finding out about it," Rio winks, putting a finger to her lips for secrecy.

Yuma and Shingetsu gasp simultaneously. "Shark and IV are on a date?!" the former inhales. "I never would've expected those two to like each other ... wait, actually, yeah, that makes a lot of sense." Yuma nods in agreement, apparently thinking better of his original statement.

"But what do you mean by 'secretly arranged'?" Shingetsu asks, an eyebrow perked.

"I convinced my brother to ask Ryoga to go 'hang out' at the mall," III begins. "But, I mean, come on. It's a date."

"III got me in on it too so that I could persuade Ryoga to agree to IV's invitation when he called," Rio adds. "And we've been spying on them for the past few hours to see how they're doing."

"Have they done anything?" Yuma queries in a hushed voice. "Have they ... _kissed_?"

"Pfft, of course not, they're both too cowardly to make a move like that," Rio laughs, a little bitterly. "But they _have_ grabbed each other's hand. Like, a lot."

"Hey, it's a start!" Yuma points out. "Wait--" The young boy is clearly currently formulating a plan in his head as he speaks. "What if we try to mess around with them to get them to interact more often?"

Rio frowns immediately. "The whole point of us spying is, uh, not to get caught--"

"No, no, you don't understand," Yuma insists. "It'll be in really subtle ways. Knocking a display into their path and forcing one of them to hold back the other. Tripping one and making the other catch them. That sort of thing!"

III and Rio exchange a quiet, excited look. "That sounds like the perfect way to make something actually happen this date," the Arclight breathes excitedly, his voice quiet in anticipation.

"Shall we?" Shingetsu speaks up, fire dancing in his eyes. "We can split into teams and compete to see who makes the two of them touch each other the most."

Immediately, determination ignites in all four kids' eyes. Whenever it comes to competition, these kids will _not_ be outmatched.

At the reference of teams, Yuma's hand quickly shoots for III's. The spikey-haired boy cheerfully grins at his pink-haired boyfriend in exhilaration. "We'll use our own couple powers to make Shark and IV get together," he promises.

Rio nods at Shingetsu; the teams have been formed.

With fire in their eyes, the rival teams quickly split up and take opposite sides of the road as they sneak towards the unknowing teens.

\---

It wasn't long after they had left the game store that Ryoga realized that things were starting to be ... convenient.

He didn't really know how to explain it. But there must have been, like, at least four displays that fell down directly in front of him and IV, where the Arclight was forced to pull back the Kamishiro quickly in order to prevent him from getting assaulted by the shelves.

And don't even _start_ him on how many times he's tripped over stuff that was most definitely not on the ground like five seconds ago, only to be saved by IV catching him by the arm or from his chest. It eventually got so bad that IV switched sides with him - _"maybe the display cases won't hate me as much as you so we won't have to stop every twenty seconds" "shut up IV it's not my fault" "how do you know that" "because they're fucking inanimate objects they don't hate people" "how do you know"_ \- but it still hasn't improved their luck much.

But, uh. All this time spent tripping or nearly getting half-crushed by display cases has given him a lot of contact with IV. Like, physical contact. Lots of wrist touching, twice across the chest, and one time IV's hand actually grabbed his and full-on held it for perhaps a solid minute.

Ryoga couldn't say that he didn't enjoy it.

It didn't stop in the stores, either. Ryoga could have _sworn_ that a _mannequin_ tackled him into IV's back - that had been hell explaining what happened - so the two tended to dwell in stores for only short periods of time.

The Kamishiro twin was starting to get frustrated with how much they were being interrupted - even though the contact _was_ nice - but he wasn't sure how to escape the possessed display cases and mannequins. Since no where was safe, that meant that they might have to _leave_ , which would put an end to their day right as it was actually starting to be _fun_ \--

"Ryoga, oh my god, look."

Said teen was knocked out of his thoughts as IV spoke. Ryoga looks up at him, an eyebrow perked. "What is it?"

The Arclight points out to him perhaps the only refuge in the entire shopping center: a photo booth.

Ryoga turns back to him and gives him an exasperated look, but IV will not be deterred. "Come on, Ryoga, we have to do this," he insists, training his burning magenta eyes on his cool deep blue ones. "You can't just see a photo booth and _not_ take pictures in it."

"It's a little cliché," the shorter weakly protests, but IV doesn't pay him any mind and takes him by the hand and leads him to the photo booth.

The Arclight gets in first, giddy. Rolling his eyes, Ryoga casts a quick glance around him before crawling in after his friend and closing the curtain behind them, leaving them in darkness, save for the warm glow of the screen in the center of the control panel in front of them.

"How does this thing work again?" Ryoga muses, dubiously examining the seemingly endless amount of options.

"You have to pay to take pictures, it's not that hard of a concept." The Kamishiro shoots a dark glare his way, but IV is so involved in his wallet that he doesn't notice. "Come on, pay up," he demands as he fits a few coins into the illuminated slot to the right of the control panel.

"What? Aren't you paying for me?" Ryoga inwardly cringes at how much of a selfish prick he just sounded like.

"Yeah, but if you want your own set of pictures, you'll have to contribute." IV smirks sideways at him, his scar burning a light blue from the glow of the screen.

Ryoga mumbles something about IV being misleading, but he reaches into his pocket to pull out his wallet and begins to dig around for change.

Once the appropriate amount is deposited, IV begins to select the settings, which Ryoga doesn't really get to see, as he's currently trying to stuff his wallet into the front pocket of his skinny jeans. It isn't working out too well, seeing as how there _are_ no front pockets. He finally sighs in defeat and shoves it into his back pocket. He turns his attention back up to the screen, and suddenly, they're being prompted to pose.

"Wh--" Ryoga barely has time to get out before IV shoves him in the shoulder to get his attention.

"Come on, Ryoga, we only have 5 seconds to pose!"

_Pose for what?_ the Kamishiro thinks in confusion, finally taking the time to properly look at the screen. The screen, bordered with pink and red hearts, cheerfully displays _Pose: Hug!_ in bright bubble letters.

"We have to hug," IV murmurs in his ear. Ryoga startles a little but does as he says and swings one arm around him. IV does the same.

They're incredibly close; their cheeks are nearly brushing and a strand of Ryoga's hair is in IV's face. Neither seem to mind as they throw up goofy grins and peace signs as the camera flashes.

They hardly have a moment to pull apart before the next prompt materializes onto the screen: _Pose: Charlie's Angels!_

Ryoga can't help but giggle at their ridiculous cue. His laugh echoes around the small, confined space. "What even are these prompts?" he snorts, but he obediently forms a crude, makeshift gun with his hands and leans his shoulder into IV's. The Arclight follows suit, a stupid grin on his stupid illuminated face. His pink eyes are practically glowing with excitement.

The camera flashes once more, and by the time they've blinked away the afterimage of the light, their third prompt is on the screen: _Pose: Peace signs!_

"Aw, we already did peace signs during our hug," IV pouts, looking disappointed. Ryoga swiftly improvises and hooks an arm around the Arclight's elbow and forces both their arms up in peace signs. The taller briefly looks at Ryoga in surprise, but he returns his gaze to the front just in time to smile for the camera.

Ryoga unhooks their elbows, letting out a quick breath. Rapidly switching between postures is tiring him out. _Sheesh, can't photo booths chill for, like, ten seconds? Is that really so much to ask?_

Apparently it is, because the machine hardly gives them a moment to sit before the final prompt reveals itself upon the screen:

_Final Pose: Kiss!_

Ryoga doesn't quite comprehend what's on the screen in front of him. I mean, yes, he can read it, but that's not really what it says, right? The photo booth wouldn't do this to him, right?

He turns his head to face IV, a smirk half-forming onto his face, ready to make fun of this dumb machine and how dumb it is for giving them such a dumb prompt, when--

IV's lips smash into his.

...

Oh.

Uh.

Haha.

What the fuck?

Ryoga can't move. He's hyperaware of everything that's happening: IV is leaned over the center of the bench, one of the Arclight's arms is pinned against the wall behind his shoulder, the other is grasping at Ryoga's hand. One leg is angled towards the camera, the other is... in between the Kamishiro's legs.

IV's eyes are closed. The hair tucked behind is ear is beginning to fall out and lay down his face. And his lips ... are still on Ryoga's.

It can't have been more than half a second by the time that Ryoga realizes he's getting his first kiss -- _from someone he hated not even twenty-four hours ago._ Everything feels so bizarre and weird and wrong -- but the warmth radiating from the Arclight, the gentle tingle his hand leaves on Ryoga's arm as it begins to travel up to his face -- it feels so perfect at the same time.

Slowly, tenderly, carefully, Ryoga leans into the kiss, closing his eyes as he does so. He carefully lifts one hand, placing it first on IV's hip before allowing temptation to win him over and letting his hand glide up the taller's torso.

IV shivers, and Ryoga feels the vibration in his lips; it's at that moment that the Kamishiro realizes the Arclight hasn't done anything about the kiss other than just smash their faces together.

Well, time to change that.

Ryoga bites into the kiss, nibbling on IV's lower lip. A faint sense of satisfaction stirs within him as the teen gasps softly in pain. Ryoga takes advantage of his open mouth and overtakes him, passionately sucking on him as his hand reaches IV's shoulder. He allows it to drift onto his neck, sending another shudder through the two of them as his cold fingers graze the teen's bare skin.

His hand reaches IV's jawline and gently cups it, softly pushing the Arclight's head to the side so that Ryoga can have a better leverage over his mouth. He sucks on his lip and the soft moan that IV lets out gives him his own shivers.

Suddenly, IV decides to fight back. He nips at Ryoga's bottom lip, letting the teen draw in a breath from the small bite. IV immediately swoops in and reclaims the shorter teen's lips for his own, taking advantage of Ryoga's open mouth and pushing his tongue in.

Ryoga lets out an involuntary moan as IV's tongue battles for dominance with his - and wins. He's dimly aware of the fact that the camera took the shot for their final pose about five minutes ago, but he doesn't care; now that he's started with IV, he finds it impossible to stop.

Ryoga takes his other hand and rests it on IV's knee. It ghosts up his thigh and grips his hip before letting his hand slowly slide down, brushing the deepest part of his inner thigh.

IV trembles from the movement and distracts himself by taking his free hand and bracing the back of Ryoga's skull as he leans into the kiss with renewed intensity.

A little too intense, as Ryoga, whose hands are both somewhere on IV, can't steady himself, and the teen ends up falling backwards onto the bench, the Arclight still passionately carressing the Kamishiro's lips with his own.

As his back hits the bench, the small amount of breath that Ryoga still has from their endless makeout session is forced from his lungs. IV pulls back for a brief moment, having the courtesy to let him regain precious air. Afterwards, the Arclight quickly descends back into the kiss, his lips meeting with Ryoga's on equal ground.

Ryoga drapes his arms over the taller's shoulders, linking together and forming a gridlock and pushing IV's head down harder onto his own. The Arclight shifts his weight to kneel over him more comfortably, but their lips never break contact.

Ryoga allows his hands to travel down IV's backside. He gently traces the length of his backbone, sending shivers up his spine and into their mouths. _God, he's so fucking ticklish,_ Ryoga thinks, laughing softly into his mouth.

His hands reach IV's hips. He pauses as IV allows his own hands to wander. One hand is still trapped underneath Ryoga's skull, but his fingers dig into his scalp periodically as a sort of unintentional massage. The Kamishiro moans in pleasure.

IV's other hand, being his support, doesn't get to move much, but it's near enough to Ryoga's shoulder to allow him gently rub circles with his thumb into his skin.

With a small huff of air, Ryoga lets his hands move again, this time, to IV's jeans. His fingers hook around the loops of his denims without really realizing what he's doing. IV takes a sudden sharp inhale of breath, stiffening from the way Ryoga's hands are so tenderly touching him so close to his region.

Ryoga provides the air his partner lost by pressing up, into his mouth. The Kamishiro gently begins to massage him down there, and IV practically melts on top of him.

IV bites into another kiss in his passion, his thumb pressing into the crease in Ryoga's shoulder--

"Hey, III, we should take pictures in here -- !!"

Suddenly, light is cast across both their bodies, rudely intruding upon the quiet darkness that was filled only with their soft sounds.

The entangled teens freeze, their eyes snapping open from the sudden intrusion of light. Their lips break apart as they jerk their heads up to stare at the entrance to the photo booth.

Yuma stands there, backlit by the afternoon daylight, one hand on the curtain, his other over his mouth in shock. III runs up behind him, looking concerned at Yuma's frozen posture. When he sees his brother and Ryoga enveloped in each other's arms, however, he quickly understands.

"III?" IV mutters in confusion, not moving from his position over Ryoga. "What are you doing here?"

Before III can respond, however, Ryoga interrupts the both of them.

The shorter suddenly sits up, pressing his hands against IV's chest and forcing him upright. His hands dig into the fabric of his shirt. The Arclight suddenly feels a shudder pass through him, and he realizes that Ryoga is shaking.

"Ryoga?" he asks, his brow furrowing in concern. His hands find the Kamishiro's shoulders in a gentle attempt to steady him. Ryoga swats him away, and IV's hands fall uselessly to his sides.

Before IV can reach out to him again, Ryoga is on his feet and stooping to avoid the low ceiling of the photo booth as he crawls out, shoving past Yuma and III in a dark rage.

"Ryoga!" IV swiftly begins his pursuit and brushes past his brother and his boyfriend as he escapes the close, cramped quarters of the booth where he shared his first kiss with his crush.

Said crush is already halfway across the road when IV spots him. The Arclight breaks into a sprint in order to catch up, dimly noting Shingetsu and Rio's presence - wait, _Rio's_ here? when'd that happen? - out of the corner of his eye.

IV finally catches up and grabs Ryoga by his shoulder once again, only for his hand to be thrown off - once again - as the shorter whirls around to stare IV in the face.

Fists form at Ryoga's side as his deep blue eyes glare icy daggers into the Arclight's face. "What do you want?" he snaps aggressively, all the romantic passion in his movement and body mere minutes before now gone.

IV looks taken aback; he wasn't expecting this kind of reaction. "Uh, Ryoga, are you feeling alright?" His hand starts to reach for Ryoga's shoulder, but he quickly thinks better of it and retracts it. "I thought that we..." His pink eyes are downcast, too afraid to meet the other's eyes and see the truth. "I thought you ... enjoyed ... that. Do you mean you didn't?"

Ryoga isn't really sure how to respond. Truth be told, yes, he enjoyed the _hell_ out of that. But something feels off. "Even if I did, how do I know any of that was real?" The perplexed look on IV's face tells Ryoga that he's speaking nonsense, but he can't stop.

" _'Real'?_ What does that mean?"

"How do I know if -- if you like me? If any of your feelings are real?" _Calm down. Stop freaking out._ "For all I know, this whole trip was just something amusing to you. And I was like -- like a puppet to you." _You're speaking nonsense. Stop._ "You played around with me the whole day, claiming you were helping me out by changing my outfit or whatever. And then you ended it all with -- fucking kissing me." _Stop stop stop_ "You're a manipulative bastard, that's what you are."

...

IV's expression hurts him so fucking much.

But he doesn't care. He's tired and angry and frustrated and _really_ turned on, and it's all IV's fault.

"...You really think ... I was faking it this whole time? You think I was just playing with you?"

No, those can't be tears in his eyes. His downcast magenta eyes are suspiciously shiny and he's biting his lip and Ryoga can practically see his throat tightening as he struggles to restrain his tears.

Before Ryoga can manage a response, IV's voice sounds again, husky and quiet so that the shorter almost has to lean forward to hear him: "Do you really think I haven't changed at all?"

Ryoga's hands shake at his sides. He feels like he can't find the willpower to respond. So he doesn't.

The Kamishiro suddenly turns tail and runs away from a IV on the verge of tears. Through the blur in his eyes, IV can only follow Ryoga's escape until he slips into the crowd.

IV just sort of stands there, not even moving as his tears spill over. It seems that he's content to remain there, staring after Ryoga for the rest of his days; but then someone taps him on the shoulder.

The Arclight frantically scrubs at his eyes with his sleeve as a last-ditch effort to wipe away any evidence of tears. He turns and frowns upon the four before him, knowing full well that they can see the tear stains on his cheeks.

III, Yuma, Rio, and Shingetsu frown back up at him.

"Brother," the youngest Arclight quietly begins. "Are you alright?"

IV's frown deepens, deciding against answering his question. "Why are you two here?" He gestures to his brother and Rio.

"Oh. Uh." III exchanges an uneasy glance with Rio, which pisses IV right the hell off. _What are they hiding?_ "We were kind of, um, spying on you and Ryoga?"

"...What."

"We set you two up on a date. Er, maybe not exactly set up, since you were the one to call him and everything. We just encouraged you two," Rio offers.

"So you watched us this whole time?" IV's voice is low and guarded, not giving anything away.

"Yeah, we wanted to see how it went," the girl responds again.

"Well. It went pretty shittily, if that's what you're wondering," IV's snap grates on their ears. However, when III winces, his brother draws back a bit in regret.

"He still doesn't trust me," IV admits bitterly. "He thinks I haven't changed a bit since the WDC."

"That's not true!" Yuma suddenly gasps, in typical Yuma fashion. "You guys have gotten a lot better ever since Tron lost his will for revenge." He squeezes III's hand for good measure.

"Thanks, Yuma," the middle Arclight sighs. "But that doesn't matter to Ryoga. I thought he might have gotten over it for a while there ... but just now..." IV grimaces, unable to continue.

"Thomas." III's voice is gentle, so different from his brother's sharp voice. "You just need to let him absorb it all. It still hasn't been that long since the WDC."

"I know. I just don't get it. I really thought he..." IV breaks off again, his cheeks turning an awful shade of pink.

"My brother is a wild card, IV," Rio speaks up. "Not to mention that he's probably really conflicted. He's just confused."

IV looks up, gazing softly at her, quietly amazed by the fact that she can talk to him, the guy who sent her into a coma, so warmly. "Thanks, Rio." Suddenly, the Arclight's somber magenta eyes light up with an idea. "Say, you and Ryoga used to hang out here all the time, right?" Rio nods. "Where would he go if he ever got frustrated or wanted to be alone?"

His crush's sister opens her mouth in the dawn of realization. Then, a small, mischievous smile takes over her lips. "I would always find him behind the carousel," she advises off-handedly.

"Right," IV nods vigorously, suddenly turning around and walking in the direction of said attraction.

Yuma, III, and Shingetsu look after him increduously, and then at Rio. "What was that all about?" Yuma inquires.

Rio just shakes her head in response, a quiet, knowing smile on her lips. "It's not our problem anymore. Come on, guys, let's go get Starbucks."

The rest of the group shrugs at each other before following Rio, off to buy sugary caffeine-less drinks for five dollars apiece.

III, however, pauses for a brief moment before turning to follow her. He gazes after the spot where IV slipped into the crowd. A gentle smile plays on his face. "Go get him, Thomas."

III then quietly follows after the others, retrieving Yuma's hand as he does.

\---

It couldn't have been more than ten minutes after he left his spectators that it started to rain.

"What the hell?" IV says out loud, angling his face towards the sky and glaring magenta daggers into its cloudy expanse. "The forecast said it was gonna be sunny all day."

"Fuck you, weatherman," he quietly adds to his complaint. It makes him feel a little better.

He sticks to the sides of the outdoor mall, trying to remain under canopies and overhangs for as long as possible as he keeps a lookout for a directory. Unfortunately, it's not enough to keep him from getting drenched. His hair is practically dripping by the time he spots a map of the vast mall.

He peers up at the directory, not having to worry about other patrons trying to get a look, too. Everyone who's smart scattered at the first sign of rain. The outside is remarkably empty, save for a rebellious few who copy IV and try to take cover under the ineffective overhangs of the shops.

It doesn't take long for IV to decode the directory and deduce that the carousel is just a short walk away. With a quiet huff of relief, he turns on his heel and takes long strides in the direction of the attraction. At least now he doesn't have to worry about allowing Ryoga to keep stride with him.

\---

The carousel has been mostly abandoned for the day because of the rain, but they must have forgotten to turn off the lights. The rainbows of colors refract through the droplets and display an accidental light show.

IV smiles with reminiscence as he gazes up at the attraction. He remembers his first time in Heartland Central; it was the day after his family had arrived in this city, hellbent on revenge.

III had insisted that they go visit its world-famous mall, including its carousel that's supposed to put a smile on anyone's face. So the two youngest Arclights had dropped by for some sightseeing. The carousel hadn't put a smile on IV's face then, but, well, now it does. So I guess the carousel wins this round.

After his brief bout of nostalgia, IV remembers why he even visited this attraction in the first place. He begins to round the carousel, looking for that signature purple hair among the abandoned horses. Ryoga isn't anywhere in sight.

A frown crosses IV's face. Perhaps Ryoga had grown out of his typical brooding spot. It happens to everyone eventually, after all.

IV is about to lose all hope of finding his crush in the rain when he notices a small, closed-off area behind the carousel, blocked off only by a short fence.

The Arclight easily jumps the fence and lands on the soft grass on the other side. The rain slows to a drip, and IV looks up to find trees protecting him from the weather. He carefully crosses the grass and finds a large concrete patch directly behind the carousel. It's hidden from sight from all directions, unless you're in the back area, of course.

And that is where he finds Ryoga Kamishiro. Back against the wall, sitting on the remarkably dry concrete with his legs stretched out in front of him, his jacket resting on the top of his head to protect his hair from any stray rain droplets.

He barely reacts when he looks up to see IV standing over him. Deep blue eyes blink up at him, quiet, expressionless.

"You got drenched," Ryoga observes, not budging an inch.

"Yeah, well." IV shrugs. "I thought it might be a good look for me," he grins, pushing back his dripping hair with one hand, combing through it.

Ryoga scoffs, but there's a playful hint to it. He silently moves to the side to make enough room on the concrete for IV to sit alongside him. Flashing him his signature IV grin, the Arclight accepts the offer graciously.

The two quietly sit, gazing at the rainbow-covered carousel through the trees. IV's hair and clothes slowly dry to an unpleasant dampness as he rests under the shelter the trees provide. He wants to say something to Ryoga, just to tell what he's thinking, but the Kamishiro speaks first.

"I'm sorry."

...

_Well._ That was unexpected.

IV's face tells him as much, and Ryoga half-heartedly scowls. "What, you want me to repeat that? Because I won't."

"No, you don't have to." IV stares uncertainly at his boots, trying to look anywhere but at Ryoga in his confused state. "I just thought you hated me."

Ryoga lets out a small sigh. His jacket slips down his hair a little bit. "I don't hate you, IV. It's just been ... a _very_ weird day for me."

IV gives him a crooked smile and decides to entertain him. "How so?" he asks lightly. The Kamishiro frowns at him in a guise of annoyance, but his twinkling blue eyes say otherwise.

"Well, for one, I woke up before 11 a.m. this morning. For another, I've spent all day hanging out with someone I thought I hated. I also _enjoyed_ hanging out with that someone. And then the day ended with that same someone kissing me, and I _also_ enjoyed the hell out of that." Ryoga shrugs, a faint blush tinging his cheeks as he copies IV and stares at his own shoes. "So, uh, needless to say, it's been a pretty confusing day for me."

"Sorry, Ryoga." IV is the one to apologize this time. "I honestly didn't intend for this to be a date. I wanted to make up for all the awful stuff my family and I did to you and the others." He grimaces, the skin around his scar tightening. "But then with that whole photo booth thing and I saw the prompt, I just couldn't resist--" Suddenly, he freezes.

Ryoga casts him a curious look after noticing his sudden silence. "Ryoga," IV whispers in horror, his eyes wide. "We never retrieved the pictures from the photo booth."

At that, the Kamishiro freezes, as well. "Anyone could see us making out," he breathes, his mouth agape with the horror of realization.

But then, suddenly, Ryoga is laughing. And so is IV. It's just so fucking _ridiculous._ To pay that money and go through all that trouble, only for them to completely forget about the photos. They can't help but laugh.

"Rio is totally gonna blackmail me with those," Ryoga breathes through his laughter, his shoulders shaking, causing his jacket to completely fall off him and crumple upon the concrete.

"Same, I'm gonna have to kill Michael to make sure he doesn't show my brother and father," IV groans, but his smile is still wonderfully apparent on his face.

"Really? III would do that?" the shorter pauses as he struggles to regain his breath.

"Oh, you'd be surprised," the Arclight mutters darkly. Ryoga gives him a mildly afraid look as he finally calms down. He settles against the wall once again and quietly gazes sideways at IV. A few minutes pass as they peacefully listen to the comforting ambiance of the rain on leaves above their heads.

"...I'm sorry, too, by the way," IV suddenly remarks. He stares ahead at the rainbow lights of the carousel that barely reach them behind the branches of the trees. "This whole thing was pretty selfish of me."

He glances back at the shorter. His magenta eyes meet Ryoga's warmly, and a small smile graces IV's face. "Sorry for having a crush on you, Ryoga."

His crush stares at him, mouth agape. A few droplets sneak through the trees and fall upon Ryoga's head, but he doesn't notice.

Then, slowly, he gets onto his knees and crawls over to IV, who has returned his magenta gaze to the light display of the attraction.

When he reaches him, Ryoga's hand clasps over IV's, which anchors him to the ground. The Arclight whips his head around in surprise and regards the Kamishiro with curiosity, an eyebrow raised.

"Apology accepted," Ryoga murmurs, his eyes half closed.

He leans forward, and his lips meet IV's.

It feels weird, being the one to initiate a kiss. But he enjoys the sense of power and the way he feels IV's entire body stiffen all at once, before melting and letting his lips sink into Ryoga's. He can imagine that IV experienced quite the similar sensation back in the photo booth.

Yearning for an angle that doesn't force IV's head to be turned at such a harsh angle, Ryoga slides across the taller's legs, never breaking contact. He settles into his lap and he feels IV stiffen once more in exhilaration, and Ryoga smirks into the kiss. IV is like putty in his hands; he can do whatever he wants and the Arclight will be happy.

Ryoga sucks on the Arclight's bottom lip as he drapes his arms over IV's shoulders. His partner presses forward, passionately pressing his hands into Ryoga's chest. Both hands then travel in opposite directions: one up to his hair, the other down to his thighs. Fingers dig into the Kamishiro's skull in a wave of pleasure as Ryoga starts to nibble on his upper lip.

IV breaks through his teeth with his tongue and invades his partner's mouth. The way Ryoga freezes on top of him in response is so perfect that IV is left practically breathless. The shorter quickly recovers and takes advantage of this; his tongue battles with IV's for dominance, his breath short in his excitement.

Ryoga's hands make their way down IV's sides and meet his hips. The Kamishiro braces himself, hands gripping IV's hips, and slowly, deliberately, begins to grind into the Arclight.

Boy. If IV was putty in his hands before this, now he's fucking Play-Dough, and Ryoga is the three-year-old without supervision.

A desperate moan escapes IV's lips, which Ryoga quickly silences by pressing his tongue back into the other's mouth. A pleasant shiver runs through the Kamishiro as IV starts to get his groove back and grab at Ryoga's thrusting waist. Ryoga silently responds by arching his back and attacking IV's lips even more fiercely.

Suddenly, for the first time, Ryoga breaks the contact of their lips. IV's mouth feels empty and vacant without his partner there, rudely trying to barge in.

However, Ryoga's lips swiftly meet IV's skin again; but this time on his neck. IV lets out a strangled gasp as Ryoga bites down on the taller's collarbone, before sucking hard on the skin.

After a few moments of ecstasy, Ryoga pulls away and begins to line IV's collarbone with peppered kisses, before making his way up his neck and biting down once more, this time just below his jawline. The vibration of IV's moan in his throat rattles his teeth, and he rewards IV with another impassioned thrust.

He finally pulls away and inspects IV's neck and collarbone with pride. He gives some _damn_ good hickeys.

IV's growl pulls him out of his self-praise. "You're a fucking shark," he mutters.

Ryoga grins and presses his smile into IV's lips. "Why'd you think I chose the name?" he teases into IV's mouth. He pays for his taunt as the Arclight shoves his tongue into his open mouth.

However, he quickly withdraws his tongue and begins to trail Ryoga's jawline with his lips, tenderly kissing every inch of the bone. His hands grip lower and lower on the shorter's thighs, until he's palming Ryoga's prominent bulge through his tight skinny jeans.

Ryoga freezes for a moment on top of him, and IV briefly wonders if he's gone too far. But the pleasured moan that sets him on fire with excitement tells him otherwise. He returns to passionately caressing the shorter's jawline with tender kisses, gently tracing a path down Ryoga's neck that only IV can follow. He reaches the collarbone and returns his earlier favor by sucking on his skin. He's much more gentle than the shark, however.

"Harder," Ryoga murmurs, his breathing ragged and hoarse. He thrusts into IV's hands and grips the other's vest with his own fingers, lusting for more contact.

IV obeys him, but perhaps not in the way he asked for. He departs from the half-formed hickey and collides his lips with Ryoga's, accidentally knocking their noses together. The Arclight lets out a huff of laughter into his partner's mouth, and Ryoga traps it inside as his lips seal with IV's.

As their mouths compete for dominance, Ryoga's hands grab at his partner's chest until he finds the buttons on his vest. Not breaking contact, he unbuttons his vest, longing for more contact with the Arclight's skin. IV gives his consent with a satisfied, muffled murmur in Ryoga's lips that buzzes through his skull.

He finishes unbuttoning his clothing, only to find his long-sleeve shirt beneath it. "Fuck," Ryoga breathes into the kiss. IV sucks on his top lip to prevent any more words from escaping the other's mouth as the Kamishiro sets to work with unbuttoning this layer. He settles into a comfortable rhythm with his thrusts, and it's almost too much for IV to handle.

Finally, the button-down shirt is opened, and Ryoga presses his cold hands onto taller's chest. IV softly gasps and shivers from the contact, but he presses into the shorter, their chests touching, one bare and one still covered. IV mumbles something that sounds horny beyond belief into Ryoga's lips, but the Kamishiro is too involved in their kiss to really care.

His thumbs rub circles into IV's naked chest, slowly moving down his torso. IV still shivers from his frigid touch, but at the same time, he leans into the contact, wanting as much of his skin linked with Ryoga's body as possible.

Ryoga's hands venture down still farther, until he reaches IV's waist. The Arclight expects him to stop, but instead -- Ryoga's hands begin to fiddle with the zipper of IV's skinny jeans.

"Hell," IV gasps softly. Ryoga's touch shocked him, but his lust is too powerful. The Arclight thrusts forward to match his partner, yearning for more closeness.

The Kamishiro takes this action as consent and smiles into IV's lips. One hand undoes the zipper and unbuttons hopefully the last button he'll ever have to deal with in his life.

Then, that same hand slides down IV's jeans.

IV trembles at Ryoga's touch, but _fuck_ , it feels so good. He drapes his arms over the Kamishiro's shoulders for support as the other's hand closes around the Arclight's shaft.

His hand sets to work, pumping his dick up and down. IV becomes an absolute mess in his arms, struggling to continue kissing as ecstasy takes over. He gives up and returns to the Kamishiro's collarbone to continue working at the hickey. Ryoga lets out a soft gasp as IV bites down on his skin, much harder than before.

The bulge in IV's jeans jerks up and down from the handjob, and soon enough, IV can't take it anymore. He arches his back in pleasure and opens his mouth to the sky. Ryoga pitches forward and attacks his neck with wet, sloppy kisses. A giggle escapes IV's mouth from how much it tickles, but it's quickly cut off with a gasp as Ryoga's hand reaches his sweet spot.

Truth be told, Ryoga doesn't really know what the hell he's doing, but hey, IV is clearly enjoying it. So he keeps going with it.

His hand slides up and down the length of the taller's shaft, gripping it in time to his thrusts. They continue like this for quite some time: a single being, moving in rhythm.

Ryoga must be either incredibly good at this or IV must be incredibly easy to please, because he soon moans to the sky, "Ryoga, I think -- I think I'm gonna..."

His partner gently cuts his warning off with a tender kiss on his lips. He jerks off IV more furiously than before, longing for one last go before they both collapse from exhaustion.

In his arms, IV finally climaxes. His entire body shudders from the force, and he sinks into Ryoga's grasp as he finishes. The Kamishiro lovingly carresses his face with kisses as he removes his hand from the taller's jeans, quietly wiping it on the grass a few feet away.

Ryoga crawls off his lap and settles into the crook of his arm beside him, and the two remain there, breathing hard to regain the precious air they had lost in the heat of their final moments.

IV drapes his arm around the shorter's shoulders and pulls him close. He sheepishly zips up his jeans, but he allows his shirt to remain unbuttoned. The cool stir of the rain chills his skin, still blazing with heat from their passion.

Ryoga gently nestles into IV's elbow. The Arclight plants a soft kiss on his head, his messy purple hairs tickling his nose as he does.

Their breathing gradually returns to normal, and they quietly watch the light show of the carousel as they sit there, on their concrete block.

"I wonder how we're gonna tell the others," Ryoga suddenly speaks up, his hair bouncing a bit. IV casts him a curious look.

"Tell them what?"

The shorter snorts and headbutts him the shoulder. "That we're dating, dumbass."

IV's entire body tenses up, and his face flushes perhaps the deepest red it's been that day. "We're dating?"

"I mean, yeah?" Ryoga scoots forward an inch to look back at IV with an incredulous scowl. "This is what you wanted, right? Like, I'm _pretty_ sure you said you were crushing on me right before we started making out."

"Uh, yeah, I did say that." A frown crosses the Arclight's face, and he looks down at the grass surrounding their tiny shelter. "I didn't think you felt the same way, though."

"Are you kidding me?" The outrage in Ryoga's voice brings IV's gaze back to the other's face. Hesitant magenta eyes meet irritated blue ones. "You think that even after all that, I don't like you?"

IV blinks at him. "You like me?"

"God, you're dense," Ryoga groans, settling his head back into IV's elbow with an irritable huff. "Of course I like you." After saying this, he seems to realize the gravity of what he's just said. A silent blush creeps over his cheeks, and he copies IV and stares at the grass around them.

IV tenderly smiles at him, even though he knows Ryoga can't see it. "Y'know, that does have a nice ring to it," the Arclight airily says.

"What does?"

"My boyfriend, Ryoga Kamishiro."

A grin slides across IV's face as he observes Ryoga's ears turn a bright red that stand out against his purple locks. "Yeah," the shorter mumbles. "It's way better than my boyfriend, IV. What a stupid name."

IV pulls him close and grins into his hair. "Oh, trust me, Ryoga. I could come up with much worse names for you. Pet names, in particular."

"Oh yeah? Like what?"

"How do you feel about Sharkie-poo?"

"...If you ever say that name again, I will not only break up with you, but I will also break your arm."

"Note taken."

"...But for real," Ryoga begins again. "How should we tell Yuma and our siblings?"

Ryoga's head slightly shifts as IV shrugs. "Let's just go back to them, pretending like everything's normal. But then, when we're all about to leave, let's kiss each other goodbye. I wanna fuck with 'em."

The Kamishiro chuckles and cranes his neck backwards and plants a jovial kiss on IV's lips. "That's exactly what I wanted to hear."

Ryoga's smile remains on his face as he settles back into IV's elbow. An unspoken agreement arises between the two of them: yes, they'll go mess with their friends eventually. But for now, this is fine.

With Ryoga in the crook of his elbow, his breath softly stirring his chest in a rhythm that IV memorizes and carves into his heart; the comfortable silence broken only by the thin pattering of raindrops on the leaves above them; the rainbow lights refracting through the trees and the water, spelling out a language that neither of them can really understand, but appreciate the beauty of its indecipherable code anyway.

Yes, IV may have never expected this to happen today in a million years.

But you know what?

If Ryoga Kamishiro has fallen in love with him way earlier than scheduled, then IV is not going to complain.


End file.
